


There Are Worse Things

by fandomgeek14



Series: Navigating Stardom [6]
Category: High School Story (Visual Novel), Hollywood U: Rising Star, Red Carpet Diaries (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 05:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21221249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomgeek14/pseuds/fandomgeek14
Summary: After Matt Rodriguez’ wedding to Alice Green, Thomas Hunt is left rather in a odd situation, he’s nearing his forties and is still a bachelor, and he’d gotten used to it by now (and he his completely fine with).... until an old flame by the name of Maddie Jenkins comes literally crashing into his life once more, and they’re clearly not over each other’s feelings! Great, right? Yeah... not so much...





	There Are Worse Things

Being in Hollywood meant that you often ran into the unexpected, and that’s a fact of the job. Thomas Hunt had dealt with unexpected, he’d dealt with the impossible, he’d dealt with Hollywood happy endings and tragic endings. What he hadn’t expected was that he’d have to face the most unexpected thing on a Tuesday afternoon whilst out with his friends.

After Alice and Matt’s wedding and two week Honeymoon, the gang were all sat down for a get together at some 1950’s stye American diner. Chris Winters had been filming a film on the lot that it was in and the gang had decided to come up and see how production was going and catch up and that was fine, Thomas liked Chris, they were good friends, and he was perfectly happy to see his friends but what he was not expecting was to face his past again.

“-It was honestly the best thing I’ve ever eaten” Alice explained to the group about one of the foods she’d tried on her honeymoon

“sounds like you had a honeymoon thatcould have rivalled Chris’” Addison Sinclair smiled at the couple and Thomas felt a slight sting of something in his chest when she did.

“Oh really? What did you do or your honeymoon Chris?” Alice asked curiously

“I don’t like to boast” Chris said

“Oh please, you never tell us anything about what yours was like and as the only other person in the room with a story like that you have to give us some details” Victoria said

“I thought everyone knew it by now”

“I don’t” Alice said

“ I took my wife to every place that held significance to our relationship, Italy, Thailand, Paris, even Blitz, where we first met”

“Sounds romantic”

“It was, she certainly enjoyed herself”

“I’m sure she did” Alice said

“But like I said, it was a couple of years ago and I don’t like to boast about it”

“I should have done that” Matt said

“I wouldn’t have changed it for the world” Alice smiled 

The topic soon changed to Hunt which was unexpected in its self

“So, as the eldest member of our group have you gotten anyone special yet?” Alice teased

“No, and I don’t want to, that ship has sailed”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually” Teja said to him

“I did a long time ago, and I‘d rather not go into it”

“It’s alright, we’ll drop it” Alice said

“Talk about dropping the subject, look who just walked in” Addison nearly squealed excitedly, Thomas looked to the door, and froze, Chris’ wife had just arrived and was heading this way, and he suddenly felt the desperate need to run

“I need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back”

“But you went to it twenty minutes ago”

Hunt ignored Teja’s logic and went ahead with it anyway, heading in the direction of the toilets without another word.swinging the door open, he immediately stood facing the mirrors he took a few deepbreaths, he couldn’t face her, not in a non-professional way anyway, not after what he did.

The door swung open and to his suprise, Alice walked in, looking very concerned

“You are aware this is the men’s” he raised an eyebrow at Alice

“I’m perfectly aware of that but nobody’s going to enter now”

“Shouldn’t you be with Matt? Talking to Chris and his wife and the others about stuff like, plans for the future, what parties to go to next, movie projects” He said bluntly

“My husband can wait, I think friends who need comforting are more important”

“I don’t need comforting, I needed some quiet”

Alice folded her arms at the older man, not falling for his excuse. “Oh yeah and you chose that you moment to do that when Chris’ wife showed up?”

“That’s not-“

“What don’t you like her or something?”

“No I like her, tolerate her, it’s just we haven’t seen each other in over two years”

“So? That’s good right? I don’t have to tell you that that’s not a reason for disappearing”

Thomas sighed in frustration

“I’m guessing you’re not going to drop it”

“No”

Thomas took another deep breath before answering.

“I found my someone, a long time ago, and I just never expected I’d have to face her in a social situation so soon”

Alice’s eyes went wide with realisation

“You and Mrs Winters were a thing?”

“We were, Maddie and I, we were a thing. she was in her first year at Hollywood U, I was a tenured professor” He explained

“But isn’t that going against university bilaws?”

“It was, yes, in fact I kept pushing her away at first, whatever my feelings were towards her didn’t matter, or couldn’t happen, but stubborn as she is, she persisted with her goal of- well whatever it was, andeventually I gave in and gave us a shot. And we had our moment of when we thought it would end, Catalina island for one, and when the board found out about our relationship, but everything worked out, and we felt like we could do anything together” Thomas closed his eyes, a smile managing to appear on his face for a brief second as he recounted the tale. “I- I even got round to proposing to her, if you could imagine that, whilst watching the sun rise, on the hood of my car- the most romantic thing I could think of at the time”

“You sounded happy, so how’d she end up with Chris? Don’t tell me she rejected your proposal”

Thomas shook his head “quite the opposite, actually” the smile still there and Alice could tell he was remembering the event as if it was happening again, and she could imagine him doing it, m on the hood of his car, probably drinking a thermos of coffee, watching the sun rise with the girl of his dreams before proposing with a ring no doubt was fit for a princess. But then his smile wavered a little as he was remembering what happened next and Alice knew it was bad.

“Officially, the story is that it just wasn’t working, that was what was reported in the magazines” he saidlooking seriously at her “unofficially though, the real reason, was my fault”

Alice was now clearlycurious about how he could single handedly ruin a amazing relationship that he’d risked so much for,so, he continued

“We were happy, things were looking up, she’d met my family, and I’d met hers, and they all seemed to approve, but it all started when I received a message from Maddie’s mom, informing me I couldn’t marry her daughter”

_It was a quiet evening when the visit from Hellhappened, Maddie was out with Addison for a girls night (That was probably just an excuse for those two to go browse wedding stuff) and Thomas was sat at his computer as usual taking the opportunity to do some marking, and maybe, if he had time he’d continue looking through venue options for the reception. Thomas felt actually content for the first time in a long time, he was happy, properly happy and literally nothing could get in the way of his relationship with Maddie, his happily ever after, so to speak. Nothing._

_The knock on the door signalled the end of that feeling. He knew he should have ignored the sound, he didn’t even know why he’d opened it in the first place, but when he did he had a feeling of dread immediately wash over him as me stared at the tall, blonde haired woman in his doorway._

_“hello Thomas”_

_“Ruby. what do you want?”_

_“Is my daughter in?”_

_“No, she’s not”_

_The woman at the door pushed him aside with a sickly smile as she strutted into the house._

_“good” _

_Maddie’s mother was a woman of high repute, mostly due to the family she belonged to, from the highest of the Hollywood elite, a well respected and good willed family, this woman was the opposite, she was the definition of a Hollywood snob, always looking down on everyone, and that meant everyone, especially her daughter. She’d had Maddie at 18, and had viewed her as a burden ever since and their relationship despite efforts from Maddie to build it, has remained strained at best. This was certainly not going to end well._

_“I’m not here to see the brat. I’m here to see you”_

_Now that took Thomas of guard_

_“Well, I don’t really want to speak to you but I’m only doing it for Maddie’s sake”_

_“Good man” Ruby said helping herself to a glass of wine from the dining table Thomas’ jaw clenchedin annoyance at this woman’s etiquette_

_“how’s the wedding going?”_

_“Why should I tell you?”_

_“I’m your future mother in law”_

_“It’s fine”_

_“Good, good, it’s just a shame it can’t happen”_

_“I’m sorry?” His eyes narrowed at his future mother in law_

_“Your wedding can’t happen. It produces negative press, and Maddie needs someone who will make it positive”_

_“We’re getting married whatever your opinion is or what the press says” he stood his ground. Of course she had an ulterior motive of this visit, it made Thomas sick to the stomach._

_“Not even if it hurts Maddie’s career?”_

_“It won’t hurt her career”_

_“Oh believe me it will, once I get my hands on that paper, editor in chief can do whatever she likes, some secrets could be let spilled, rumours could start, awful ones too”_

_“I wouldn’t let that happen”_

_Ruby cocked her eyebrow at Hunt“really? Not even the great Thomas Hunt could stop the entire press. What if a secret got out, say that she’s addicted todiazepam”_

_“She takes duloxetine for her anxiety, not diazepam and you know that she’s not addicted to any medication at all, those rumours wouldn’t stand”_

_“It would if the press twisted it to say she was severely hooked on diazepam pills, her career would be over in a flash” she smiled “that’s all, I’ll give you twenty four hours to end the relationship or damn her to a fate of never finding a job and ending her career” she put the glass down and walked back to the door “thanks for the wine”_

_Thomas shut the door behind her before she could get another word in . He couldn’t end it could he? It would break her heart if he did and he knew that if he tried anything Ruby would twist it and end both their careers. Maddie’s was more at stake though. What should he do? He couldn’t let Maddie’s career suffer and he knew from first hand experience what it’s like to be on the wrong side of Ruby Turner-Jenkins. He had no choice but to do what she says. Even if it hurts both of them, he had no choice but to end it. For Maddie’s sake._

“That’s why?” Alice looked stunned at the revelation “you felt you both were going to lose that battle”

“Her career was at stake, I couldn’t go to anyone for help, her mother knew that if I tried anything she’d ruin her daughter anyway. Maddie was distraught when I ended it that night, said I just couldn’t do this anymore, because I was holding her back, I just couldn’t tell her the truth. she moved out that night. Thankfully, she had friends she could turn to, mainly Ethan, Addison and Chris. Soon after they started dating and got married, I was invited but I just - couldn’t stomach it” he said

“There are worst things you could do”

“Breaking up with her was the worst thing I could do”

“Do you regret it?”

“What?”

“Do you regret it, breaking up with her?”’

“Of course I do! But she’s married now”

“So? Tell her the truth”

“And deck her marriage? Her family life? I can’t change the past!”

“Of course not, but don’t you think she deserves closure?”

He considered it for a while

“I do”

“Well come on, before my husband gets worried about us and comes looking, besides making up after a break up, what’s the worst that can happen?” Alice smiled holding the door open for him. They strolled out into the restaurant and back to the table, where the group were sat as if waiting for something

“I found him” Alice smiled

“Good, now Maddie’s at the bar, go up and apologise to her” Chris smiled “seriously, I can’t bare the fact she intentionally avoids you during boys nights anymore!” He pointed out encouraging him to go, Thomas looked at Alice “go on” she mouthed Thomas turned and with serious look on his face approached the bar, just as Maddie turned around with her drink

“Watch where you’re going!”

Then everything went dark.


End file.
